Skin exposed to the sun is where skin cancer, or the abnormal proliferation of skin cells, most frequently occurs. However, this prevalent type of cancer can also develop on parts of your skin that are not often exposed to sunlight.
Melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma are the three main kinds of skin cancer.
By reducing or eliminating your exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, you can lower your risk of developing skin cancer. The early signs of skin cancer might be found by checking for abnormal changes in your skin. You have the best chance of successfully treating skin cancer if you find it early.
Symptoms
Skin cancer typically appears in sun-exposed regions of the body, such as the scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms, and hands in women, as well as the legs. But it can also develop on parts of your body that are infrequently exposed to sunlight, such as your palms, the skin just below your finger or toenail, and your genital region.
All skin tones, including those with darker complexions, are susceptible to developing skin cancer. People with dark skin tones are more prone to develop melanoma on the palms of their hands and soles of their feet, which are often not exposed to the sun.
Signs and symptoms of basal cell carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma typically develops on parts of your body that are exposed to the sun, including your face or neck.
Basal cell cancer may manifest as:
- A hump with pearls or wax
- A scar-like, flat lesion that is brown or flesh-colored.
- A wound that bleeds or scabs, then heals and reappears
Signs and symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma most frequently affects your hands, face, ears, and other sun-exposed regions of your body. On areas of the body that aren’t frequently exposed to the sun, those with darker skin are more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma.
Symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma include:
- A solid, rosy nodule
- A flat, crusty lesion with scaly edges
Signs and symptoms of melanoma
Anywhere on your body, in otherwise healthy skin, or in an already-existing mole that transforms into cancer. Men who are impacted by melanoma typically develop it on their faces or trunks. The lower legs are where this type of cancer most frequently appears in females. Melanoma can develop on skin that hasn’t been exposed to the sun in both men and women.
Anyone can develop melanoma, regardless of skin color. Melanoma frequently develops on the palms, soles, or under the fingernails or toenails of people with darker skin tones.
Signs of melanoma include:
- A sizable area of brown with darker speckles
- A mole that bleeds, varies in size, texture, or color
- A little lesion that has an erratic border with spots that are red, pink, white, blue, or blue-black
- A burning or itching sore that hurts
- Dark lesions on the mucous membranes lining your mouth, nose, vagina, or anus, as well as on your palms, soles of your feet, fingertips, or toes
Symptoms of less prevalent forms of skin cancer
Additional, less typical forms of skin cancer include:
The Kaposi sarcoma. This uncommon type of skin cancer forms red or purple spots on the skin or mucous membranes by growing in the skin’s blood vessels.
People with weaker immune systems, such as those with AIDS, and people taking drugs that inhibit their natural immunity, such as those who have had organ transplants, are more likely to develop kaposi sarcoma.
Young African men as well as elderly Jewish or Italian men with Italian or Eastern European ancestry are at higher risk for Kaposi sarcoma.
Merkel cell tumor. Firm, glossy nodules in the hair follicles and on the skin’s surface or just below it are caused by Merkel cell cancer. The head, neck, and trunk are the areas where Merkel cell carcinoma most frequently develops.
Cancer of the sebaceous gland. The skin’s oil glands are the site of origin for this rare and severe malignancy. Sebaceous gland carcinomas, which typically manifest as hard, painless nodules, can grow anywhere, but they most commonly affect the eyelid, where they are easily confused with other conditions affecting the eyelid.
In what ways is skin cancer treated?
The cancer’s stage affects the course of treatment. If the cancer is tiny and just present on the skin’s surface, a biopsy may occasionally be sufficient to completely eliminate it. Other typical therapies for skin cancer, whether used alone or in conjunction:
Your dermatologist may use liquid nitrogen to freeze skin cancer through cryotherapy. Afterwards, the dead cells slough off.
Excisional surgery: To ensure that all cancer has been removed, your dermatologist removes the tumor and some surrounding good skin.
With Mohs surgery, your dermatologist only eliminates unhealthy tissue while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible around it. This is used by medical professionals to treat basal cell and squamous cell cancers as well as occasionally other skin cancers that appear close to delicate or crucial cosmetic areas, such as your eyelids, ears, lips, forehead, scalp, fingers, or genital region.
Curettage and electrodesiccation: Your dermatologist scrapes across the tumor with a tool that has a sharp, looping edge to eliminate cancer cells. The remaining cancer cells are then eliminated using an electric needle. This is frequently used by practitioners to treat precancerous skin lesions, basal cell and squamous cell malignancies.
Chemotherapy: To eliminate cancer cells, your dermatologist or oncologist administers drugs. If the cancer has only spread to the top layer of your skin, topical chemotherapy can be used. If the disease has spread to other regions of your body, anticancer drugs can be given to you orally or intravenously (IV).
Immunotherapy: Your oncologist administers drugs to help your immune system become more adept at eliminating cancer cells.
Radiation therapy: Your radiation oncologist utilizes radiation (powerful energy beams) to either destroy or stop the division and growth of cancer cells.
In photodynamic therapy, a dermatologist applies a drug to your skin that is then activated by a blue or red fluorescent light. This treatment kills precancerous cells while sparing healthy ones.
